This is a zine dedicated death/grind, deathcore, grindcore, melodic death metal and death metal with a blackended edge for more info contact hatredmeanswar@yahoo.com, check out the new zine http://ExtremeMetalZine.blogspot.com

Friday, June 30, 2017

Origin are a band from Kansas that plays a very technical and brutal form of death metal with touches of groove and grindcore and this is a review of their 2017 album "Unparalleled Universe" which was released by Agonia Records.

A very fast and brutal sound along with a great amount of blast beats starts off the album along with some technical guitar solos and leads which also leads up to death metal growls and screams being added into the music and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording.

Throughout the album you can hear a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and some of the riffs also mix in elements of grindcore while also adding a decent amount of melody and grooves into the riffing and clean playing can also be heard at times and one track also adds in a few seconds of operatic vocals while the main focus is mostly on a heavy and brutal style and one of the tracks is very long and epic in length.

Origin creates another recording that remains true to the brutal and technical style of death metal from previous releases, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover misanthropy, death and esotericism themes.

In my opinion this is another great sounding album from Origin and if you are a fan of this band, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Accident And Error" "Truthslayer" "Burden Of Prescience" and "Revolution". 8 out of 10.

Afterbirth are a band from New York that has been featured before in this zine and plays a very brutal form of slam death metal and this is a review of their 2017 album "The Time Traveler's Dilemma" which will be released in July by Unique Leader Records.

A very heavy and brutal sound starts off the album along with some guttural death metal growls a few seconds alter and when the music speeds up a great amount of blast beats can be heard and at times the music also gets very technical along with the riffs also using a decent amount of melody.

Screams can also be heard in some parts of t he songs and during the mid tempo section parts of the tracks a great amount of slam elements can be heard along with the solos and leads also being very technical and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording.

Throughout the recording you can also hear a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and some of the tracks also mix in elements of progressive, space rock, noise, and jazz which also gives the songs an avant garde feeling at times along with all of the musical instruments sounding very powerful and a couple of instruments can also be heard and some tracks also bring in a small amount of clean guitars.

Afterbirth creates another recording t hat is in the brutal slam death metal style but also getting more technical and experimental this time around, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover philosophical, religion, science fiction and horror literature themes.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Afterbirth and if you are a fan of slam, brutal or technical death metal, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Maggots In Her Smile" "Multiverse Dementia" "Timeless Formless" and "Devouring The Hungry Ghost". 8 out of 10.

Thursday, June 29, 2017

This is a review of a split album between Italy's Lurking Fear and Morbus Grave called "Omega Doom" which was released by Lord Of The Flies Records and we will start off the review with Lurking Terror a band that plays a mixture of death metal and grindcore.

Their side of the split start out with a horror movie style intro before going into a very fast and brutal grindcore direction along with a great amount of blast beats while t he music is very heavily rooted in the early 90's and after awhile guttural death metal growls make their presence known but in more of an old school way.

When guitar leads a re utilized they are done in an old school death/grind style while you can also hear all of t he musical instruments that are present on their side of t he recording along with a small amount of melody and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and grim screams are also used at times and they close their side of the split with a cover of Sacrilege's "Life Line", the production sounds very old school while the lyrics cover dark and violent themes.

In my opinion Lurking Fear are a very great sounding old school mixture of death metal and grindcore and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "World's Decay" and "Deafening Void".

Next up is Morbus Grave a band that plays a dark down tuned form of death metal.

Their side of the split starts out with a horror movie style intro before going into a very dark and heavy direction along with a great amount of morbid sounding melodies while you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on their side of the recording while the screams add in a touch of black metal.

Death metal screams are also a very huge part of their side of t he recording along with the music being very heavily rooted in the early 90's and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and they also bring in a cover of Death's "Mutilation", the production sounds very old school while the lyrics cover death, darkness, and blasphemous themes.

In my opinion Morbus Grave are a very great sounding dark old school death metal band if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out their side of the split. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Descent Into Dark Abyss" and "Drowning By Nightmares".

In conclusion I feel this is a very great sounding split and I would recommend it to all fans of old school death metal and grindcore. 8 out of 10.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?The band was formed in 2014 and two years later released its debut album by the tile Here Lies The Truth. Our music is a hybrid of melodic death, progressive and classic heavy metal bringing together elements from the Scandinavian, British and American scenes. During the creation of our debut album we were fortunate enough to collaborate with major established figures such as Ettore Rigotti of Disarmonia Mundi and Dirk Verbeuren of Soilwork who is now the permanent drummer of Megadeth. The band is currently performing live as much as possible and we are in the process of putting together our second album.

2.So far you have released one album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?We had a wide variety of styles packed in the first album, which inevitably added a lot of intricacies and latent qualities in the sound. There are a lot of atmospheric and dark moments delivered by the extensive use of keyboards and epic, symphonic choruses, and on the other hand you will find a number of more direct and edgy elements bordering with thrash and death metal. That’s why we recommend that new listeners play the album through their headphones the first time, there’s a lot to discover.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?We pay a lot of attention on our lyrics, we believe they are part of a complete music proposition. We mostly write about inner self battles, society issues and politics. We try to portray our views of the world and the individual, in an admittedly dystopian manner, drawing inspiration mainly from personal experiences. The words may be carefully crafted but they come straight from the heart rather than being the result of a mechanical or tactical process. We urge the audience to read our lyrics as they travel through the music, give their own interpretation and experience a holistic journey. You will see parts of you somewhere in our words, no doubt.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Synthetic'?The literal meaning of the word ‘synthetic’ comprises terms such as manufactured, processed and unnatural. Although from a branding perspective we are not doing ourselves a favour by using those connotations, our belief is that today’s world and society are unfortunately built on those negative principles. Our food, our clothes, our music, our relationships even, are synthetic. As a band we digested that, but we do not accept it. So, our name is an attack to the system acting as constant reminder and alert, hoping that one day the human race will wake up and realize that we are being subjected to in our daily lives and eventually revolt.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?We have played in some great festivals in the UK so far and shared the stage with some amazing bands. Our latest appearance in Cambridge for the Daze of the Tron Festival was by far the most memorable to date – the venue was packed, everywhere we looked there were people wearing Synthetic t-shirts, many of them knew the words to our songs, that’s an incredible feeling. Our stage performance is something we constantly work on to improve further. We are now tighter than ever and a lot of people say to us that we belong to bigger stages. We feel that as and when we hit bigger stages our shows will become even more spectacular and energetic as we will have more space to move and to bring additional props, such as banners, lights, guest appearances etc.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?We have a number of gigs planned in the UK in the next few months. No major touring plans so far. We’d love to tour widely and visit countries outside the UK but that’s not as easy these days. We will probably stick around the UK for the next year or so where people know us better and the logistics are easier. Unless of course we get an invite and a deal that we can’t refuse.

7.Can you tell us a little bit more about 'Access In Music?We decided that it was the right time for us to get a band management company onboard to support us with our continuous marketing efforts. We had a look around, we spoke with a few companies and in the end we felt that Access In Music was a better match for us. We are pleased with our choice so far and we are only in the beginning. We are convinced that this relationship will flourish and that both parties will benefit from each other.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme and melodic metal?
We have received a plethora of positive comments from around the globe and our album has travelled as far as Japan. We see a lot of support coming especially from Greece, the UK, the USA, Germany, Sweden, Finland and Russia. It seems that people appreciate the hybrid nature of our music and see it somewhat refreshing. There’s a little bit of everything for everyone in our album and we believe this brings people together and that we can reach a wider audience as it’s hard to pigeonhole our style.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?We will definitely retain a good balance between melody and groove. Perhaps we will push for a slightly more unified style next time. Generally, we will try to keep all the good elements of our debut album and discard the not so good aspects. You should certainly expect influences from Scandinavian and British metal but the bottom line is that we play what we feel sounds right to us at that given moment. One thing we can promise is that we will always sound like Synthetic.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?Each one of us has different influences to bring to the band. Some of our main influences though include bands such as Soilwork, In Flames, Dream Theater and Iron Maiden amongst others. The list is too long really. Overall, we are huge fans of the Scandinavian soundscape and the classic British metal and rock sound.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?We have people in the band who are keen photographers, video makers and game designers. Others are fitness enthusiasts and others love to travel. All of us are in full time employment and we love our jobs too. So, quite busy lives outside music.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?We’d like to thank you ever so much for the opportunity to be featured in your pages. We need the support of people like you and we deeply appreciate it when we get it. We would like to say a warm big ‘thank you’ to all the fans who invested in Synthetic so far, either by buying our album and merch or attending our shows. For the new potential fans, we can only promise better music, better videos, and better performances in the future. We would like to invite every metal fan out there to become part of the Synthetic family. We encourage everyone to find us on Facebook and other social media platforms and interact with us. Let’s connect and spread the word together!

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Scalpel are a band from Massachusetts that has been featured before in this zine and plays a mixture of brutal death metal and gore/grind and this is a review of their self released 2017 album :Methods To Delusion" which will be released in July.

A very heavy and brutal sound starts off the album along with some screams and death metal growls and when the music speeds up a great amount of blast beats can be heard and the music is very heavily rooted in the 90's while still having a good amount of modern day elements.

When guitar leads are utilized they add in more of an old school death metal style and throughout the recording you can hear a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts along with the riffs also bringing in a decent amount of melody and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording and psychedelic elements are also used at times and on some of the tracks the vocals get more guttural.

Scalpel remains true to t he gore/grind and brutal death metal mixture of previous releases while also adding in more psychedelic elements this time around,, the production sounds very professional for being a self released recording while the lyrics cover gore, disease, horror, scary and ghost stories.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Scalpel and if you are a fan of brutal death metal and gore/grind, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Cleaner" "Feeding The Worm" "Brooding In The Gloom" and "Intensified Festering". 8 out of 10.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Witch Vomit are a band from Portland, Oregon that plays an old school form of death metal while also taking that style and mixing it with grindcore on this release and this is a review of their 2017 ep "Poisoned Blood" which will be released on June 30th by 20 Buck Spin.

A classic horror movie style intro starts off the ep before going into more of an old school yet heavy gore/grind direction that also introduces guitar leads and blast beats and guitar leads onto the recording and after awhile death metal growls along with Finnish and Swedish influences are added onto the recording.

Most of the music is very heavily rooted in the early 90's while the songs also add in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts along with the riffs also using a great amount of morbid sounding melodies and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording and high pitched screams are also utilized at times and all of the songs stick to a heavy direction.

Witch Vomit continues the old school death metal from their previous releases while also adding in more gore and grindcore elements this time around, the production sounds very old school while the lyrics cover darkness, necrophilia, death and depression themes.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Witch Vomit and if you are a fan of old school death metal and grindcore, you should check out this ep. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Doomed In The Realm Of The Dead" and "Fevers Of Torment". 8 out of 10.

Monday, June 19, 2017

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

We are JOTNAR, we come from Canary Islands, Spain, and we play some kind of Melodic Death Metal… very inspired by the Scandinavian Melodic Metal, but with our personal style and feeling.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings?

Well, it’s not easy to define yourself or the way you see your music but I could say our music is an aggressive melodic Death metal… Very aggressive in one hand, with powerful riffs and heavy drums but at the same time very melodic, where the melodies on guitars is one the most important in the songs as well a great mix and balance between growling and clean vocals. We love melody and that’s way clear when you listen our music.

3.This is your first release since 2012, can you tell us a little bit more about what was been going on during that time frame?

It’s been a long road with lots of ups and down. After the release of “Giant” in 2012, we toured a lot in Spain and Europe. Our idea was to release the EP and then a full album a few months later but the EP worked so great that we couldn’t reject the gigs.Then we decided to stop playing live to focus in the new album, preproduction, recording, etc and when everything was recorded but vocals and was the singer time, he got some personal problems that continue pushing the recording back. We began the vocal recording, but we could never finish it. This lasted about a year and a half of trying to record… was insane. At the end he accepted he cannot do it and told us that the best would be to leave, so… we then had to find a new singer. That’s when we met Mario Infantes and he joined the band. We decided to start from scratch with him, instead of simply track everything as we had so far, so we started working in the vocal demos and preproduction. We also re-arranged and polished all songs and back to the studio again. It was a little pain in the ass but at the end, it worth all the wait and hard work.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

I think it’s hard to explain it because each lyric is different from the other. I mean, we don’t have any writing line or common theme to write, but instead they share a similar feeling. All lyrics are very dark, and not much “happy”. They all share this kind of base, coming from frustration, anger, fear… You only need to sit and watch the world, see how fucked up is everything and you can get all the inspiration you need to sink yourself into this desperation mode to write. I don’t see myself writing happy lyrics for this kind of music, it’s completely impossible for me.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Jotnar'?

It comes from the Norse mythology. JOTNAR were the giants from the Scandinavian mythology who lived in Jotunheim, somewhat in the middle between Gods and human. I’m a true lover for this tales and myths, and since our style is Scandinavian inspired, we thought it was a perfect match.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

For me it was the Metalcamp 2012 (nowadays Metaldays), in Slovenia. That festival is located in one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been, a real paradise in the middle of the mountains next to an amazing river. Best fest location I’ve ever been, and I’m dying to be able to play back there.About our performance… we have a very energetic performance but with any additive, no fires, no smoke, etc… just pure metal. We like to play as hard as we can and try to have as much fun as possible.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

We’ve just made a Spanish Tour with Sonic Syndicate, which was really funny. We have two festivals, the Straevil Fest in Italy and the RockFest Barcelona, a huge festival here in Spain with bands like Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Airbourne, and a huge list of awesome bands.We are also working on another Spanish tour with a great band, but we cannot say anything yet. Also, our plans is to try to get into a good tour pack and make a good European tour and play in as many cities as possible, as well as in all festivals possible.

8.On the new album you also had some guests, can you tell us a little bit more about who they are also their contributions to the recording?

Well, first one needs to presentation, Björn “Speed” Strid, singer of “Soilwork” and “The Night Flight Orchestra”. He is such a an amazing singer and a awesome guy. We made a duet with him in the song “Broken Esteem”, which we also have a video, and we had a lot of fun working with him, a real beast!Jennie Nord also sang with us in the song “The Portrait”. She is from Gothemburg and she is the singer of Ultimate Fate. She also wrote the lyrics of the part she sings. I really love how her voice fitted with Mario’s growling.Santi Suarez is an amazing guitar player, he was the lead guitar of Sphinx and is a great friend of mine. He was hanging out with me when we recorded “The Portrait” and I asked him to add some acoustic guitars in the break. He is really talented and the result was so great.In that same song, we have Bruno Pardini, an amazing musician, who made some orchestral lines at the end of the song. We wanted something big an epic. We explained him what we had in mind and he totally overpassed all our expectations!Last, but not least, we also had Alessio Nero Argento who made most of the synths and programming for the whole album. He has worked with Disarmonia Mundi, and he is the best!.

9.On the album you had also did a Nelly Furtado cover, what was the decision behind doing your own version of one of her songs?

I ‘ve always loved that song, and every time I listened, I pictured it in my head with that heavy rhythm… and I decided to made my own version. I loved the idea of making it sounds like JOTNAR, so I made a demo a couple years ago. When we started working in the vocal demo with Mario, I showed him the version and asked him to make a try. The final result was as nice that we decided to add it to the album. It sounds really like a pure JOTNAR song and it fitted perfectly with the rest of the songs.

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of melodic death metal?

So far so great! We’ve received many messages on Facebook and youtube with good comments about our music. We’ve also received many reviews from specialized metal magazines and webzines with great reviews as well.And in a personal level, the best comment has come from Jesper Strömblad, founder of In Flames, who shared the video of “Starved of Guidance” in his Facebook page and wrote: “You want highest quality MDM, you got it:)! And visit their page and support!! You will hear a lot of this band in the future. One of the finest in a long time, and have a bright future ahead! Enjoy”

11.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

At the moment we are only working really hard on JOTNAR. Our singer Mario, sometimes sings in a Jazz orchestra from time to time, besides that, we are 100% devoted to JOTNAR.

12. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

I don’t see myself doing anything different, really… I love what we do and this is the way I play, and the way I write. We don’t follow any rule or any guide, so most likely, we will keep on doing Melodic Death Metal the best way we can.

13. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Influences are infinite… some of then had a bigger influence than others but… to name a few, from Metallica, Pantera, to In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, At The Gates, Arch Enemy, and tons of other great bands.And about what I’m listening now…. Well, all kind of music, from the classics to new one. I’m totally hooked to Atoma, latest Dark Tranquillity album, as well as latest from Evergrey. Amazing albums. Another great band I discovered is Vengha, from Sweden, and also listening a lot Sixx AM, The Night Flight Orchestra, and a very long etc... Our singer for example is completely in love with Tesseract. We all listen some kind of different bands and styles who actually help us to open a our mind to different styles and arrangements.

14. What are some of your non musical interests?

Besides music, which is pretty much the most important for me… I love architecture and movies from the 80’s and 90s. I love Star Wars, and good TV series.

15. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Well, Just invite you all to check our music, you can find us on Spotify, our official Facebook or find our latest videos on YouTube. And if we play near your hometown, don’t hesitate to come and say hi after the show… we will take some beers then.

Friday, June 16, 2017

Displeased Disfigurement are a band from South Africa that plays a brutal form of slam death metal and this is a review of their 2017 album "Origin Of Abhorrence" which was released by CDN Records.

A sci-fi orientated intro starts off the album along with some spoken word parts and after the intro the music goes into a more brutal direction along with some guttural death metal growls and the mid tempo sections also mix in elements of slam and when the music speeds up a great amount of blast beats can be heard.

A small amount of melody can be heard in some of the guitar riffing and throughout the recording you can hear a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and none of the songs ever use solos or leads while spoken word samples do make a brief return on a later track and all of the songs stick to a heavy and brutal direction.

Displeased Disfigurement plays a style of death metal that is very heavy, brutal and guttural while also mixing in a great amount of slam elements, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover dark and violent themes.

In my opinion Displeased Disfigurement are a very decent sounding brutal slam death metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Parasitic Devourement" Malignant Misery" and "Human Cattle". 7 out of 10

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Synthetic are a band from the United Kingdom that plays a very melodic and atmospheric form of death metal and this is a review of their self released 2017 album "Here Lies The Truth".

Electronic music elements and angry growls start off the album along with some clean playing a few seconds later which also gives the songs a more progressive edge while the synths give the tracks and atmospheric feeling while also mixing in with the heavier sections of the songs at times.

Symphonic elements are also utilized in some of the tracks and when guitar solos and leads a re utilized they are done in a very melodic fashion and clean singing is also used quite a bit throughout the recording and the riffs also use a great amount of melody and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to t hem.

As the album progresses more Swedish melodic death metal influences are added onto the recording along with a few growls and a small amount of blast beats can also be heard when the music speeds up and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and some songs also add in spoken word parts along with some elements of American style metal and acoustic guitars are added onto the closing track.

Synthetic plays a musical style that takes atmospheric and melodic death metal a nd mixes it in with touches of American grove, progressive, and traditional metal to create something very original, the production sounds very professional for being a self released recording while the lyrics cover inner struggles and society themes.

In my opinion Synthetic are a very great sounding melodic death/heavy metal band and if you are looking for something different, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Lie' "Memories" "Walk This Line" and "Scream In Your Dreams". 8 out of 10.

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?My name is Antonio, I started to play guitar from 2007 and in the same year I have founded my solo project after some dreams where an old man called Hitwood, a wise of japanese origins, "contacted” me every night and try to dialogue with me with celestial melodies instead of words. So, after some of these dreams I’ve started to record on my phone what I remember immediately after awake. In dreams the melodies sounds more celestial so I’ve elaborated them to fit with my favorite music style: Metal. So, the overall sound is more dark from what I’ve heard in dreams but I tried to keep them are as catchy as Hitwood intended them to sound. After 9 years, in 2016, the project left the shadows with the debut album “When Youngness.. Flies Away..”, all these years was necessary to elaborate all the melodies dreamed and compress them into a flowing song structure capable of connecting directly to your subconscious. In April 2017 I’ve released “As a Season Bloom” EP with a more multicolored sound and many other music genres influences.

2.How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recordings? I don’t want to be classified in a music genre because of the variety of my style but just to give to you an idea I’m very influenced by Melodic Death Metal scene, Post Metal and a bit by shoegaze but, as you can hear I can’t be classified in no one of these categories. To me is simply dreamy music.

3.So far all of your music has been instrumental, are you open to using any vocals in the future?Yes, this what I’m working on right now. I’m in the recording process of the new EP and I’m trying to define all the song structures. I will invite some guest vocalists to do the job and you will have some surprises also you could appreciate some of the story behind dreams now explained with word instead of only melodies.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Hitwood'?Hitwood is the old man who appears in dreams of many people, he called the people connected with his dream world “messengers”, because he give us the mission to break the dividing line between the real world and the dream world, trying to find a connection to overcome the dream and tell to humanity what’s our future which Hitwood had predicted. I’ve never meet other “messengers” in real life but I’m trying to spread what I've experienced in these dreams with my music. I don’t know what the Hitwood name means, probably "hit the woods" but I can’t figure out if it has a real meaning

5.On the albums you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to remain solo? In the past I’ve tried to have band members but I realized that by myself I could be more productive and without limits. This is as well more satisfying to myself. I’ve learned to play guitars and drums with the purpose to do it all by myself.

6.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?Some undergrounds labels have contacted me but I've refused the proposal because for now I prefer to remain independent. If in the future, if the project will grow, I could evaluate to work with a label but for now I can handle it alone.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of post and melodic death metal? I’ve never do much promotion about this project so for now it’s a really underground project and I begin to see some results only in these few months. The feedback I’ve received by fans by the way are awesome, some people love that kind of music and the continue to support me. I think the mix between post and melodeath it’s the winning element but I know that Instrumental music isn’t a thing for everyone.. but in the future with the new songs this will change.

8.Are you also involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?No, this project and my main job are just enough to me (laughs, ndr)

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as musician in the future? I’ve no plans for the future, As long as the dreams are recurring I keep doing what I’m do, If the dreams will stop, I probably change moniker to begin a new musical path

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?As I’ve already said, Melodic Death Metal is a huge influence to my songwriting. My favorite bands are In Flames and Dark Tranquillity but I like all the gothenburg sound scene. From the “post metal” scene I’m very into Agalloch, Alcest, Solstafir, Drudkh, Pelican, Dornenreich and bands like that. Also Metallica was one of my favorite, in particular their leader James Hetfield give me the inspiration to learn to play guitar 10 years ago. I have no limits in my music tastes, I could jump from Metal to Rap and ending to listen folk music; I think this is important as an artist to know all the music panorama

11.What are some of your non musical interests?I’m a nature lover, so travel is one of the things I prefer to do. I’m a bit into photography and when I have a bit of free time I dedicate myself to cycling. I’m also beer lover and tea addict, the culture that lies behind about this one always fascinates me.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? First, I would thank you for this interview. Second, to all of these ones who have read up to this point, I hope you could enjoy my music, download the albums on Hitwood Bandcamp page, it’s completely free, close your eyes and dive into my dreams. Third, stay tuned because the best is yet to come!

Monday, June 12, 2017

Hitwood are a solo project from Italy that plays an instrumental mixture of melodic death and post metal and this is a review of his self released 2017 ep "As A Season Bloom".

Clean guitars start off the ep along with some melodic guitar leads that also mix in elements of post rock and drum beats and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording and none of the songs ever use any vocals or lyrics and always remains instrumental.

A decent amount of melody can be heard in the guitar riffing and a couple of the tracks are long and epic in length while also mixing in a great amount of death metal influences and acoustic guitars are also utilized briefly along with a small amount of symphonic style synths and all of the songs stick to either a slow or mid paced musical direction and blast beats are added to the closing track.

Hitwood plays a musical style that takes melodic death metal and mixes it with post metal while also keeping everything instrumental to create something very original and the production sounds very professional for being a self released recording.

In my opinion Hitwood are a very great sounding instrumental mixture of melodic death and post metal and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this solo project. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Memories From A Gentle Summer Evening" and "Awakened By A Winter Blast". 8 out of 10.

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Cytotoxin are a band from Germany that plays a very brutal and technical form of slam death metal and this is a review of their 2017 album "Gammageddon" which will be released in July by Unique Leader Records.

Technical guitar leads and blast beats start off the album along with some death metal growls that also have their guttural moments along with riffs that mix the brutal and progressive styles together and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording.

Elements of slam can be heard in the mid tempo sections of the songs and spoken word parts cam also be heard at times along with a small amount of nuclear power plant samples and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and the riffs also mix in a decent amount of melody at times.

Cytotoxin plays a style of death metal that is very brutal and technical while also mixing in elements of prog and slam, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover Nuclear Disasters and Chernobyl themes.

In my opinion Cytotoxin are a very great sounding technical and brutal death metal band with elements of prog and slam and if you are a fan of those musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Radiatus Generis" "Chernopolis" "Corium Era" and "Outearthed". 8 out of 10.

Friday, June 9, 2017

Mordenial are a band from Sweden that plays a very melodic from of death metal and this is a review of their 2017 album "The Plague" which will be released at the end of July by Black Lion Records.

Clean guitar playing starts off the album and after awhile the music goes into more of a heavier and melodic direction along with the faster sections of the songs also using a great amount of blast beats and after awhile death metal growls and high pitched screams make their presence known on the recording.

Most of the music is very heavily rooted in the mid 90's Swedish tradition along with the fast riffs using a decent amount of tremolo picking and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and when guitar solos and leads are utilized they are done in a very melodic direction and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and some of the riffs also show a small amount of thrash influences.

Mordenial creates another recording that remains true to the melodic death metal style that was established on the previous release, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics have a concept to them dealing with people using a god or gods to justify terrible acts.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Mordenial and if you are a fan of melodic death metal, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKSINCLUDE "The Plague" "Salvation" "Follow The Cross" and "The End". 8 out of 10.

Monday, June 5, 2017

Denmark's Deus Otiosus have returned with a new recording t hat continues their death and thrash metal mixture of previous releases along with a touch of black metal and this is a review of t heir 2017 album "Opposer" which was released by Great Dane Records.

A very fast sound starts off the album along with a great amount of tremolo picking and blast beats as well as some high pitched black metal screams before mixing in thrash elements and death metal growls while you can also hear a decent amount of melody in the guitar riffing.

Throughout the recording you can hear a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts along with all of t he musical instruments sounding very powerful while the solos and leads add in more of an old school extreme metal style and also having their melodic moments and as the album progresses a brief use of synths can be heard and clean singing is added onto the closing track.

Deus Otiosus creates another recording that remains true to the old school mixture of death and thrash metal from previous releases while also having a touch of black metal to t hem, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover death, horror, occultism, and torment themes.

In my opinion this is another fear sounding recording from Deus Otiosus and if you are a fan of death, black and thrash metal, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Kneel" "Haunter" "Return To Slavery" and "March Of The Unworthy". 8 out of 10.

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?[Jochen]Everything started somewhere around 2009 after the split of Fulltanked, a metal cover project. Being tired of performing music of other bands, my brother and I decided to begin composing music. Every member of our band will agree that we never intended to limit ourselves to a certain musical genre. Therefore we had always strived to commit ourselves to illimitability in the process of creating our own musical trademark. Most people say it's melodic death metal and perhaps this is the closest genre we fit into, but we won't guarantee that this will always continue.

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?Compared to our EP EX INFERIS we technically tried to achieve a stronger organic or maybe more natural sound for all instruments. For me personally it´s not that typical modern sounding record with every life squeezed out of the dynamics as you can hear a lot nowadays. Of course there are synths and samples to fill out the gaps which ought to put emphasis on some sections but we are still a band that prefers honest handmade music.

3.According to your fb page, you label your music as 'aggressive self therapy', can you tell us a little bit more about this term?[Jochen] Haha, everyone wants to know something about this phrase. I said this five years ago during an interview for a german magazine and we placed it in our bio because it has some kind of teasing character that will inevitably lead to a lot of curiosity. Mainly it just emphasizes that I make or write music for my own needs and not to please anyone. And yes, our music is aggressive.

4.The band has been around since 2009 but so far has only released an ep and a full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the gaps in between releases?We proudly released Ex Inferis five years ago but after that event the band suffered a lot of seemingly neverending line up changes that threw us back so often that we nearly lost track. A few songs from After the Sun have already been written in 2013 so the writing process covers all the ups and downs we endured in the past.

5.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?[Ronny] On After the Sun we concentrated on topics that will or could concern the average person in a far future. Dealing with oneself, the society and enemies for example. But we also wrote about the evolution of machines in our daily life. Humanize Me is a good example: the protagonist realizes that he is more machine than man like all other people at that point in time. Totally shocked, he wants to reverse the process.

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Trinity Site'?Trinity Site is the name of the testing area where the first atomic bomb detonated. The code name for the bomb was Trinity. How bizarre is it to link a weapon of mass desctruction to the holy bible? This perfectly shows the madness of man.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?Tough to describe because I haven´t seen us live, just on recordings but we seriously kick butts. Really outstanding experiences had been the Wacken Metal Battle, Out and Loud Festival, the support for Sepultura and also for Der Weg einer Freiheit.

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?Of course we do play some shows this year but unfortunately there are no touring plans. We recently signed with a booking agency and I hope they will really help getting the gigs up and running.

9.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?We apply to labels for every release but haven´t signed one yet. Maybe we are too picky but we don´t want to sign any contract we don´t totally agree with. Mostly they want us to pay for every service or force us to transfer the song-rights. Sometimes it´s easier to stay unsigned until you make yourself a name in the scene.

10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of melodic death metal?We are still alive so I think we are not that bad at all ;-) Joking apart, we receive a lot of positive feedback for our music and we already sold copies to far-off continents like Australia.

11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?We will make the next release sound different to After the sun like After the sun sounds different to Ex Inferis. We are still in the initial stage of our next release so I cant give you more insights on that matter at the moment.

12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?[Jochen] Me and my brothers all time favourite is Iron Maiden but of course we listen to all styles of metal. Sascha likes the old stuff as well but also has a strong relation to black metal. Ronny and Simon are way younger and more into these modern core-styles. Our new drummer Marc (my brother left the band during the release) has a lot of influences from jazz to technical death metal and is quite open minded about all kinds of music like the rest of us.

13.What are some of your non musical interests[Jochen] Everyone in the band is doing sports or playing games while I am eating ;-)

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?We really want to say THANK YOU to all the people coming to our shows, buying our cds and supporting us in digital or in real life. Just for the record, one of the first songs Jochen ever wrote for Trinity Site is called thoughts;-)

Sunday, June 4, 2017

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Well, we're a close group of individuals with a common goal: creating dark, heavy, groovy music. Our guitarist, Lewis Thomas, is the original mastermind behind Maou Mindu. He founded the group and has remained diligent through variations of the group before falling upon this one. The group now consists of: myself (Max Warwick, vocalist), Lewis Thomas (rhythm guitar), Alex Juskevicius (lead guitar), Cameron Bambrick (bass), and Hugo Remilliard (drums). Three years after its conception in 2014, we're ready to take down the world one greasy pillar at a time.

2.Recently you have released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
It is everything we wanted out of a debut release. It grinds, it slams, it mutilates. We have a common vision for the band that involves the raw aggression found in older grind music with delicate refinements found in modern death metal. We managed to achieve our vision through the recording process in the old dingy basement of our previous jamspace and living spaces of various band members. It is a validation of what can be done in minimalist arrangements from an underground band. At the end of the day, it rips.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
I personally write all the lyrics, sometimes inspired by song titles credited to Lewis. The lyrical content is typical to the death metal style. A lot of grotesque imagery of death in many forms (and sometimes some societal commentary). However, I try and separate myself by telling intriguing stories behind the gore. Take "Skullfucking the Trepanned" for example... This involves imagery of one literally having intercourse with the hole bored in another's skull. I try to take it to another level by personifying the "clarity" of infinity and the conscious state one might achieve through trepanation. Then I fuck their skull.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Maou Mindu'?
Maou Mindu was named by Lewis, who comes from an aboriginal background. The meaning behind the name, in his native tongue, is the "devil" or the "trickster". Certainly suitable for the dark music we are creating.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Since forming the new lineup we've played just one show. We have another coming up this weekend. Our live performance is energetic and engaging. I like to get in people's faces and really connect with them on an intense level. We'll be pushing more live shows over the next year as we continue working on new music.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Just the show this weekend currently. But we'll be planning on more, and pushing out into Quebec as well as toward the rest of Ontario.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
So far we haven't looked into any record labels. The stage of the process we're in is manageable independently, although perhaps gauging the response on a second release will have us seeking label support.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal and grindcore?
It has been fantastic. We've received support from several media outlets around Canada, the US, UK, and Europe. More than we could have asked for from a debut release.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
I can definitely see us taking things to a further extreme as things move on. Our newest material that we are debuting live this weekend, is faster, heavier, more technical, and more complex in musical arrangements than any previous installments. Just taking things to that next gear.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Definitely inspired by various levels of grind from Exhumed to Cattle Decapitation. Also bands like Bloodbath, Amputory, Cephalic Carnage. Personally I've been listening to a lot of Rumplestiltskin Grinder lately as well as my buddies' band Voltang. Some good up-tempo tunes to get the day going.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
I can't speak on behalf of the other members interests, although I've heard something about Lewis trying on women's clothing and reciting the lines to Titanic in the mirror... But in all seriousness, I like to write. I've been working on a sci-fi horror novel for some time. That and video games are pretty much what take up my spare time.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Would just like to thank you for your time to ask these questions and help get us out there. For the readers, if you like some really heavy music, go over to maoumindu.bandcamp.com right now and download the album. It'll make you hate yourself and punch your teeth through your tits and it'll be great. Cheers.________________________________

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Maou Mindu are a band from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada that plays a mixture of death metal and grindcore and this is a review of their self released 2016 ep 'Grind Against Humanity".

A very heavy death metal sound starts off the ep along with a small amount of melody while you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording and after awhile high pitched screams and death metal growls are added into the music along with a great amount of blast beats.

During the faster sections of the songs a great amount of grindcore elements can be heard and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts while some of the mid tempo sections add in a touch of slam and when guitar solos and leads are added onto the recording they give the music more of an old school death metal feeling and there is also a brief use of bass guitar leads while some technical elements are added onto the closing track.

Mauo Mindu plays a musical style that takes the old school forms of death metal and grindcore and add in a touch of modern slam to create something very different, the production sounds very professional for being a self released recording while the lyrics cover violent themes.

In my opinion Maou Mindu are a very sounding mixture of death metal and grindcore and if you are a fan of those musical genres, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "